Every night at 6:30, veteran D-J Mario-Francisco Robles sets up speakers and a table on the porch outside of his home. His neighbors on 25th Road in Whitestone come outside to join in on what he calls a porch party.

"We can see each other, we can in a sense feel each other because we are smiling and waiving but we are not coming up close to each other, I am very careful to make sure people stay on their porches," said Robles.

Robles says he started the daily DJ booth to get his neighbors involved in the citywide trend of clapping for healthcare workers and first responders at 7 o'clock.

For the half hour leading up to it Robles says he plays songs with a positive and uplifting message.

"My whole thing as a DJ is to get people to celebrate things and usually we are celebrating a couple or we are celebrating a birthday, but here we are celebrating an entire city full of heroes," said Robles.

Robles himself has fallen on hard times.

Since the coronavirus outbreak he says all of  his gigs for the foreseeable future, have either been postponed or canceled.
But he says he is happy to do what he loves and give his neighbors something to look forward to.

"To see it just slowly picking up momentum and people around Whitestone are supportive of it. It is a great feeling, it feels like we are all pitching it for something really great," said Robles.

And just like any party, the DJ takes request. To keep everyone safe, Robles asks they be texted to him. But each night ends the same with a promising message for the days ahead.

"I end every night with Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, you know don't worry about a thing everything is going to be alright. I just want people to know we are going to be alright and we gotta stick together," says Robles.